The crowd got quiet, then murmurs of concern hovered in the air as the cameras looked away. Not a minute later, Fuentes reappeared with a smile shouting, “I just threw up on international television, and it feels great!” Cheers and applause erupted from the audience as she jumped right back into her speech.

Now, there are few things as embarrassing as the idea of experiencing an involuntary bodily function in front of millions of people. Still, Fuentes, a teenager, knows the secret to triumphing over what was likely a result of her nerves as well as her trauma: You own it . You raise your hand and say, “Yep, that was me!” You offer a quip to let everyone know you’re fine, that it’s okay to acknowledge what happened, and to laugh along because you’re in on it. Then you go right back into what you were doing.

Now, Fuentes’ speech was extraordinary for several reasons, and we’re not saying that the focus should be on her getting sick. But we do think that she taught us all an important lesson in grace in adversity—a lesson we can use in our real lives.

The likelihood of puking on stage is, in most cases, pretty slim. But there’s always the possibility of something going awry: your slideshow stops working, you let out an involuntary belch right into the mic. If something awkward (or even awful) happens to you on stage, remember what Fuentes showed us all: we’re all part of a community. Moments that are awkward for you are equally as awkward for the people watching. They’re caught between a state of being concerned and wanting to laugh. When you offer them an out by owning what happened, they’ll like you for it! Not to mention, they’ll be impressed that you kept on going after the fact.

Believe it or not, getting over an embarrassing moment on stage can actually work for you a lot more than it can hurt you. What was maybe just an excellent speech is now also an example of your good sense of humor, your tenacity, and how well you can handle yourself under pressure. So, don’t fret if something goes wrong: just follow Fuentes’ example and own it.

8 Comments

Cue the SNL clip (I think?) where whats-her-face got caught lip-synching her song and danced off stage. ...okay that wasn’t very detailed so many not. But anyway, good on Fuentes: true courage is not the absence of fear, but the control of it, and she did so with aplomb.

This is an excellent lesson to learn. I learned it from Pee-Wee Herman, in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure: he’s showing off on his bike and crashes spectacularly. He stands up, straightens his jacket, and says, “I meant to do that.”This is how I’ve lived my life ever since.

Rare unless a gunman opens fire on you with an automatic weapon and you’ve had surgery less than 6 weeks before you go on stage. I mean, seriously everyone says “it’s PTSD” or “nerves” but we forget she might still be on some hardcore drugs and her immune system is fighting World War 3 right now. Good for her, though it feels like she pushed herself too hard. Anyway, he’s absolutely agree something like this can be positive! Thanks for the great article.

I was thinking that she’s already outside normal. She got shot in school and was in a hospital for days. Now, she’s standing in front of Civil Rights March - level crowds. For the time that Lent’s been going on, her life is entirely different. The world is already off its axis, so she can own that the world isn’t going to tell her $^@#$ anymore.

I can’t say this enough - Good on her. Easily the most traumatizing thing I’ve ever endured during public presentations was getting heckled by a blind man in front of 700 people (it picked up on my mic and boomed to the audience). It’s a hilarious but long story but I’ll sum it up as this: Me: “As you can see on this chart... Old man with cane and glasses, right in front of my mic:“I can’t see anything, ya shit...” (Que stunned silence for entire room...) For her to puke and rally forward on a televised speech is simply amazing. She’ll be telling that story for decades.